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DRIVE TRIP

Colorado's Arkansas River Scenic Highway Road Trip

56.0 miles: 1 hours, 5 minutes

From Salida east to Canyon City, the Arkansas River Scenic Highway (US 50) sticks close to its namesake river as it snakes through the rocky terrain of central Colorado's Bighorn Sheep Canyon. To the west, the beautiful Sangre de Cristo Mountains soar 14,000 feet high, forming a sawtooth wall in the distance.

TRIP STOPS

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After hugging the Arkansas River on its way through rugged Bighorn Sheep Canyon, the Arkansas River Scenic Highway (SR 50) leaves the river behind as it flows into Royal Gorge, whose walls soar 1,000 feet over churning rapids. Before rejoining the river in Canyon City, the route parallels Skyline Drive - a scenic one-lane road atop a narrow ridge above the town.

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